1. The Best Okereke Prize for short fiction is awarded to a fiction writer from Nigeria, within the ages of 18 to 26 at the time of entering for this prize.
2. Writers must be resident in Nigeria.
3. The submitted short story must be previously unpublished.
4. Submissions will only be accepted via email: entry@bestokerekeprizeforshortfiction.com.
5. Only one short story per author will be considered for the prize.
6. Works must be fictional and between 2,500 to 5,000 words.
7. The body of the mail should include a cover note specifying the author’s name, date of birth, email address and telephone number.
8. Stories should be formatted using Times New Roman, font size 12, double spaced and submitted as a Word document.
9. No form of identification should appear on the submitted Word document. Any identifying information on the submitted document attracts automatic disqualification.
10. The winner of the prize in its inaugural year gets a cash reward of #200,000, while two honorable mentions selected from the shortlist of five will receive the sum of #50,000 each.
11. Entries that promote misogyny, homophobia, ableism and any other forms of hate speech will not be considered for the prize.
12. The prize reserves right to edit and publish the winning stories on its website, or in an annual anthology.
NB:
1. Entries open: October 1st to December 31st, 2023.
2. A longlist of ten stories will be released in February, 2024.
3. A shortlist of five stories will be released in March, 2024.
4. A winner will also be announced in March, 2024.